When I'm Gone
by BacktraF
Summary: Holy Rome has disappeared and Prussia finds a mysterious blonde boy in the woods. Who is this boy and why is he injured? Rated T to be safe.
1. Disappearance

Disclaimer: I do not own hetalia.

Please keep in mind that this story is not historically accurate. It's just a story based on the idea of HRE becoming Germany.

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Chapter 1: Disappearance

Holy Rome looked out of the carriage's window. After nearly 10 years he was going to see Italy. He still had the push broom that he gave him all those years ago. He weakly smiled as he thought about it. The war had really worn him out, but he was excited to get a break. The trip was long and tiring so he decided to sleep. He needed all the sleep he could get if he had to chase Italy again. He chuckled at the thought and fell into a deep sleep.

About 5 hours later, the carriage lurched to a sudden stop. Holy Rome woke with a start and looked around. "Are we there already?" He asked.

His assistant looked out, but couldn't see anything because dusk had claimed the sky. "I don't think so. I'll see what the driver is doing."

"Tch," Holy Rome sneered. "He probably fell asleep."

Without warning, someone yelled in pain or fear then all was quiet again. HRE's heart began to race when the eerie silence was broken by whispers. The door to his carriage swung open and he was pulled out and thrown to the ground.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he yelled.

"Ahohoho, you are so cute when you yell like that," a voice with a strong French accent answered.

"France, you bastard!" HRE said angrily. France rarely took these kinds of measures.

A hit to the face was the reply to his outburst. Even though it was dark, he could see the smile on Francis' face. He also noticed that they were alone.

"The Roman Empire will end with you!" France yelled excitedly as he began to beat the smaller nation.

Holy Rome tried to protect himself, but failed miserably as he was hit from every side. After about a minute of barely staying awake, he was knocked unconscious. His assistant, who was only five feet away, woke up after he had been hit on the head and saw someone hovering over something, but he couldn't tell what he was doing, so he ran for his life.

After a few more minutes, France stopped his assault. "And so ends Rome," he said as he kicked him one more time and walked away.

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HRE's assistant ran with all his might through the trees, though he stumbled because of the hit to the head. They weren't that far away from Italy's home, as he soon discovered. He knocked harshly on Italy's door until a light came on from within. The door opened to reveal Italy in his maid's clothes and a broom in his hand.

Italy smiled, "You're here with Holy…" But he was cut short when the man put up his hand. "What wrong? Where's Holy Rome?"

"We… We were attacked by someone!" That was all he was able to get out as he bent over and breathed heavily.

Italy dropped his broom and his eyes widened. He was too fast for the assistant to stop as he gathered the dress like attire in his hands and ran out into the night to look for his friend.

"HOLY ROME!"

"Italy, wait!" The assistant ran after him and grabbed his arm. "We can't search in the dark, let's wait until morning."

Italy collapsed to the ground and began trembling. Was Holy Rome okay or was he dead. The thoughts caused him to cry. "What if he's dead?"

The question almost pierced the man in the heart, but he knew they couldn't search in the dark. It was too dangerous and the figure that attacked could still be there.

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Prussia stumbled along in the woods, drunk. How he wished right then that he didn't like beer that much. He was going to have a headache in the morning. "I have to stop drinking so much." A chuckle escaped his lips. Like that would ever happen. He leaned up against a tree for support and slid carefully to the ground. It was damp but he really didn't mind much. He was tired. His head tipped back and rested against the trunk of the tree and he closed his eyes. Sleep slowly took over and before he knew it he was, as much he is ashamed to admit it, dreaming of running through a field of flowers.

_SNAP!_ Prussia woke with a start at the sudden noise. He looked up at the bright sky. "Is it really morning?" He thought to himself. Looking around he saw the source of the noise was a deer walking not ten feet away from him. The abrupt movement that he made had startled the deer and it ran off. After the animal was gone, Prussia stood, but instantly fell back on the ground. His body ached all over because he had slept in the ground. He also had a killer headache and any quick movements cause him to get dizzy and feel nauseas. Clutching his stomach and clamping his hand to his mouth, he stopped the feeling of rising bile in his throat. When he felt some what better, he stood a bit more carefully and tried to see how well he could balance himself.

A wave of pain went through his head and made him lean against the tree for support. When the throb subsided he got back up and began to walk with great difficulty. Pressing his palm against his head, he stumbled along, trying to figure out where he was. This was, so far, not a good day. As he walked on, a pile of black cloth caught his attention. He approached with a somewhat curious expression on his face. The cloth, when he went to grab it, was wet with something. He pulled back his hand and saw that the liquid was red. Instantly all pain was gone and Prussia's eyes widened.

He pulled at the cloth, revealing a young blonde nation beneath it. "Oi!" Prussia yelled, lightly shaking him. He pressed his ear against the smaller nation's chest and listened for a heart beat. One presented itself and he let out a sigh of relief. Next he lifted his face close to his ear and listened for breathing. Once again he heard what he was looking for, but the young nation's breathing was very shallow.

Uncovering more of him, Prussia saw that the wounds on his body were very extensive. He was surprised that the blonde was still alive. He quickly picked him up and noticed that the road wasn't too far away. Remembering that Italy didn't live too far away, he wondered if he should take him there. He eventually decided that it would be best not to go there. He still didn't know who this nation was or what he was doing in the middle of nowhere. So with that he went in the opposite direction of Italy.

As he walked he noted that the small nation kind of looked like Germania. "Maybe he's a descendent of him…" Prussia thought to himself. Then it stuck him. If this nation that he was holding in his arms was related to Germania then that meant Prussia was also related to him. His breathe caught in his throat as he realized this. When he finally found the ability to breathe again, he laughed. There's no way they were related.

The walk back to his house was long and tiring, but that's what he gets for drinking so much last night. He let out a sigh and looked around for a good place to rest his legs. A groan stopped him and he looked down. The young nation was gasping in pain as consciousness threatened to bring him round. Prussia realized he couldn't stop and rest now; the country in his arms could die if he did.

As he thought of what to do, a carriage rode up beside him and stopped. "Prussia, is that you?" asked Austria as he stepped out.

"Austria! I'm so glad you showed up," Prussia exclaimed. He chuckled then continued, "Could you take me back to my house?"

Austria looked at the nation in Prussia's arms and cleared his throat, "What is _that_ in your arms?"

When those words were said, Prussia backed away, "Why does is matter to you?"

"I'm just concerned that you're in over your head, that's all," Austria replied. He waited a couple of seconds then added, "So, where did you find that?"

"Why do you keep calling him 'that'? He's got a name."

"Then by all means, tell me what it is," Austria said submissively.

"I… don't know it," Prussia said slowly.

Prussia thought he saw Austria smirk and was about to punch him when he remembered the blonde in his arms. He looked to the ground and continued, "Please, would you just take me to my house?"

Austria was thrown off by the polite tone in Prussia's voice. Looking away from usually stern and excited nation he said, "Fine… get in."

Prussia smiled. "Thank you!" And with that he jumped into the carriage. He carefully laid the injured nation next to him on the seat, and they set off. The trip was ridden in silence until they reached Prussia's home. When they arrived Prussia said thank you again and took the boy inside.

Once the door was closed he laid the boy on this couch and began to peel away the clothing where the wounds were. He did his best to clean and bandage the injuries, but he still wasn't sure how bad it was. All he had to do now was wait until the young nation woke up. So Prussia pulled up a chair and soon fell asleep, despite the fact that it was only just after the lunch hour.

About 2 hours after he fell asleep, Prussia woke up from being tapped on the shoulder. He looked up and saw the young blonde staring at him with a confused look. Startled by the fact that the kid was now awake, he fell backwards out of the chair.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked, concerned.

Prussia began to laugh. The boy just asked if _he _was okay when the younger was close to death only a few hours before. "I'm fine, but how about you? I found you lying in the woods, dying."

The boy's eyes widened. Then he asked, "Umm… Who am I?"

Now it was Prussia's turn to be shocked. He didn't know who this nation was either, but something told him to lie. He remembered how he resembled Germania so without thinking he said, "Your name is Germany." Prussia clamped his hand over his mouth. What had he done? He just started a whole new life for this boy and all he had to do was give him a name.

"Germany…" the boy said as he contemplated who he was.

Prussia snapped out of his frenzy and looked back at the other nation. Inside he was leaping for joy at the chance to have a brother, but another part of him was yelling at him that this was a bad idea. What if someone came looking for him? He shook his head of the thoughts and added, "Yeah, and we're brothers. You must've hit your head pretty hard to forget that!"

The newly named country smiled at the idea of having a brother. "Umm, what's your name?"

"I'm Prussia!" He answered. He was beginning to believe his own lie.


	2. Discovery

Chapter 2: Discovery

Italy ran around the abandoned carriage in search of his missing friend. "Holy Rome!" No response. Frantically, he looked in every direction, trying to locate some sort of evidence. The assistant was resting next to a tree. The wound on his head kept making him dizzy, and despite Italy insisting that he see a doctor, he kept trying to help.

A dark object hidden in a pile of leaves caught Italy's attention, and he ran to it. He brushed the leaves away and stood up holding Holy Rome's hat. Italy's breathing caught in his throat as he held the precious item in his hands. His knees began to shake and tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Why was Holy Rome's hat here, but not Holy Rome? Something on the cap made him look closer at it. The gold rim at the top of the hat was dyed red in spots. Italy's eyes widened and, falling to his knees, tears welled up as he realized that he probably would never see his friend again.

The assistant stood from his spot next to the tree and walked over to Italy, scared of what got him crying. Looking over his shoulder he instantly recognized Holy Rome's hat. He didn't need to see the red stain to know what it meant. He collapsed as well, suddenly sick to his stomach. Holy Rome was gone. He disappeared just like Rome did.

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Prussia, over the course of a month, kept Germany hidden from the public, afraid that he would draw attention. During the time, he taught him how to act and talk. The hardest part was getting rid of his Italian accent and giving him a rougher Prussian one. He never wondered why he had an Italian accent, just that he needed to get rid of it. Once his month of training was done, Prussia decided to see how he did in public.

They went to a market so they could buy some food for super that night. Germany was startled by how many people were around him, so he stayed right next to Prussia almost the whole time. The one time he did separate himself from Prussia was the one time he didn't want to.

Germany saw some elaborately designed fabric hanging from a window and stopped to look at it while Prussia continued to another stand for some fish. As he stared at it he attracted the attention of France, who was also walking in the crowd, but for a completely different reason. France was scanning the people for ladies when he saw Germany.

France's eyes widened as it dawned on him who he was looking at. Before he knew what he was doing, he was already halfway to the blonde. Once he was standing right behind him, he tapped him on the shoulder.

"Prussia, look…" Germany said as he turned around. When he saw it wasn't Prussia he said, "Oh, sorry I thought you were someone else."

France looked at him with a menacing stare. Germany took a step backwards and ran into the glass that displayed the fabric. France whipped out his hand and grabbed the small nation by his neck, gripping tight. "I thought I killed you."

Germany's eyes widened as the older nation cut off his breathing. He clutched France's arm and tried to pull free, but failed at doing so. He slowly began to lose consciousness as the grip on his neck got tighter.

"Oi! What are doing?" Prussia yelled as he tackled France.

Germany fell to the ground, nearly unconscious. He coughed and inhaled deeply. Rubbing his neck and gasping, he tried to stand back up.

Prussia grabbed France's collar and raised his fist, ready to punch if he did anything he didn't like. "Just what do you think you're doing to my little brother?"

"Your brother?" France blinked, confused. "What is his name?"

"His name is Germany, you bastard!" Prussia punched him once in the face and released him. He quickly crouched down next to Germany. "Are you ok?"

"Umm… *cough*… yeah," croaked Germany. Prussia pulled him close and hugged tight.

"Come on, let's go home," he said as he stood up and took the young nation's hand. Looking back over at France, he noticed that the country was no longer surprised, but instead a look of understanding spread across his face. He grinned back at Prussia in an evil way.

When they got back home, Prussia sank to the floor and sat there. When he began to cry, Germany came over, concerned for his brother. "Prussia? Are you ok?"

Prussia looked up at the blonde. _What am I doing? What have I gotten myself into? I love this nation too much…_ All these thoughts went through his head and he pulled the nation close to him again. "Germany, don't ever leave my side again. Not until you're strong enough, ok?"

Now Germany began to cry, "Okay."

They sat there for a while, crying in each other's arms. Before long they both got up and made dinner. They ate and laughed together. When they were finished eating, Germany got down and asked if he could stay up for a while and make something.

"Sure, but you can't stay up too late."

"Okay!" Germany said excitedly as he ran to his room. Prussia chuckled at Germany's enthusiasm.

Prussia picked up the dishes and took them to the sink and washed them. Just then it struck him that before that small blonde came into his life, he was never this responsible. He laughed at himself. The boy was making him soft, but he was also making him stronger. Stronger so he could protect what he loved. He peeked in on Germany and saw him cutting something out from a piece of paper. He smiled and left him to finish what he was doing.

A few minutes later he heard his name being called out. "Prussia!" Yelled Germany as he came into the room holding something behind his back. "I need you to kneel down."

Prussia came over and did what he was told. When he did that, Germany pulled a paper crown from behind his back and set it on Prussia's head. This surprised him, and for some reason, caused him to cry again. He smiled and asked, "What's this for?"

"You protect me so you're my King."

Prussia couldn't stop the tears now. For the third time that day he hugged his brother as tight as if he would fly away if he didn't. "Thank you, Germany."

"You're welcome," Germany managed to choke out because of the tight embrace.

Prussia let go of him when he realized he couldn't breathe. "Time for bed."

"Okay."

They both walked to his room. Germany jumped into his bed and got under the covers. "Good night, Germany."

"Good night, brother." Germany rolled onto his side and fell asleep.

Prussia closed the door and went back into the kitchen to finish the dishes. Once he was done he sat on the couch and stared out the window for a while, convincing himself that taking Germany in was the best choice he ever made. There was little convincing he had to do because he already fully believed that it was the best decision. He loved Germany very much. Smiling to himself, he closed his eyes and sleep took him in an instant.

A groan coming from Germany's room woke Prussia. Concerned, he ran down the hall and opened the door to Germany's room. "Germany, are you ok." The only response he got was another groan. Prussia walked over to Germany's bed and saw the young nation writhing around, like he was in pain. He was about to wake him up when Germany said something Prussia did not expect.

"France, you bastard!"

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The scene with Germany giving Prussia a crown was inspired by a picture I found on the internet. It's so cute! T^T


	3. Austria's Surprise

Chapter 3: Austria's Surprise

Prussia stood there, staring at the small nation yelling in his sleep. _France,__you__bastard?__Why__did__he__say__that?_ Prussia asked himself. Reaching towards the bed he grabbed Germany and shook him awake. "Germany, wake up!"

With that the blonde's eyes shot open and the older could see fear in them. "Brother, France attacked me and left me dying in the woods!"

Prussia's eyes widened. That's why he had found him in the woods. That's why France grabbed him at the market. He immediately began to worry that his new family member was beginning to remember what had happened to him. Shaking it off, he pulled Germany into a hug and began to sooth him. "It's ok, it was just a dream. That bastard won't hurt you anymore. I'm going to make you strong, you got that?"

Prussia felt the stiff nod the younger gave him. Pulling away he looked hard into Germany's eyes and smiled. "Okay, time for bed," he said, smiling.

Germany climbed back onto his bed and Prussia pulled the covers over the small nation. He walked to the door and, turning to face to child, he said, "Goodnight, Germany." With that, he pulled the door partially closed and walked to his own room.

Sighing, he changed into a t-shirt and shorts as he got ready to go to bed as well. As he did this, he thought about the dream Germany had. Somehow he knew that it was more than just a dream. It was a memory of what had happened to him. A memory that could help him figure out how he had ended up with amnesia, and somehow Prussia knew that the reason was France. He had attacked his brother before the incident at the market.

Even after coming to this conclusion, Prussia still wasn't sure who Germany had been before a month ago. He had heard rumors that the Holy Roman Empire had disappeared while traveling to Italy. If that was true and Germany was Holy Rome, then Prussia could be in a load of trouble if anybody ever found out. Whether they are Holy Rome's enemies or allies, he could make enemies of all of them. All he could do now is keep pretending that he didn't know anything and hopefully Germany would just think he was having nightmares. Pushing the thoughts from his head, he fell asleep, deciding to deal with it if the problem ever arose.

The next day, Prussia began to train his little brother so he could protect himself if he ever needed to. Not only did the younger nation learn fast, he also grew fast. Prussia was both proud and sad as he watched him grow from a small boy to a nation that was almost stronger than him. Slowly, over the years, it turned from Prussia taking care of Germany to the other way around.

Prussia had stayed away from beer, for the most part, since he took in Germany. That is, until the war against Austria began. Every night he would come home beaten and bruised and retreat to his study (if it could even be called that) and drink himself to sleep. At 15, Germany didn't like seeing his brother like this so he did his best to drag Prussia to his bed. Sometimes he would even hide the beer when he wasn't looking. The only bad thing about doing that is the bad mood Prussia is in tends to get worse when there is no alcohol to "pacify" him.

"Germany!" Prussia yelled from the cellar. "Where in the world is my beer?"

Prussia came stomping up the stairs and headed towards Germany who was bracing himself for the coming rant.

"Where did my beer magically go this time?" Prussia stared down the blonde nation.

Germany just stood there without flinching at his brother's harshness. They continued to stare at each other until German finally spoke. "You need to go to bed, Prussia."

"Hm… I will when you give me my beer back," he replied, narrowing his gaze.

"You won't get it back, you need rest."

"Tch… figures you wouldn't," Prussia said in defeat. "Fine, I'm going to bed."

Once Prussia was in his room, Germany let out a sigh of relief. This was evidently one of the better days he had. On bad days, he would stomp all around the house tearing through piles of items in search of his alcohol. He wouldn't stop until Germany managed to knock him out or until Prussia ran out of steam and collapsed in exhaustion. He never found the beer, but it was never hidden that well so Germany came to believe that Prussia never really wanted to find the beer.

Finally, after three more years of war, Prussia had the guts to make peace with Austria. When he heard the news, a real smile, for the first time since the war began, stretched across Germany's face. He stopped hiding the beer, causing Prussia to be so happy that he gave Germany his "first" cup of beer on the same day. He had many other cups of beer before that day, because he wanted to see why his brother liked it so much. When he tasted it, he didn't find the taste very appealing, but for some reason, he found himself coming back for more. From then on, Germany had 'beer that flowed his veins' as Prussia liked to say.

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Italy, no longer wearing a house maid's dress, stared out of the window in Austria's house as he began humming a tune that Austria had played for him on his piano. Memories began to assault him when the song became dark and sad. Images of Holy Rome's hat covered in blood made his breath catch in his throat. A sob escaped his lips as he thought of the event that happened 14 years ago. He was interrupted when the door burst open and in walked Austria, in a very proud and happy manner.

"Prussia finally wants peace!" He said excitedly.

Italy looked over at Austria with a beaming smile. "Ve~ that's good news."

Austria noticed that Italy's eyes were slightly red from crying. "Italy, what's wrong?"

The Italian looked at him confusion in his eyes until he realized that he had been crying. Turning away, he quickly attempted to wipe the tears from his face, but only caused himself to cry harder. Austria stiffened as he remembered what day it was. It was the 13 year anniversary of the day Holy Rome had disappeared. He recomposed himself and walked over to the young nation, pulling him into a hug. Italy made a small sound of surprise, unsure of want to do as he slowly raised his arms to return the gesture.

Sensing the boy's hesitation, Austria spoke. "It's ok Italy."

Trembling, Italy threw his arms around the older nation and cried into his shoulder. Austria sat there letting him cry it out as he held him close. When the former had finally calmed down and was only sniffling, the pianist pulled away from him and smiled.

"I have to go now, Italy. I need to finalize the peace treaty with Prussia. Will you be okay on your own?"

Italy nodded slowly and stood from his place next to the window. "I'm glad Prussia finally wants to stop fighting. I don't like seeing you come home hurt all the time."

Austria smiled at the boy and turned around to head out. "I will see you later, Italy. Hungary should be over later so you won't be alone."

It was a long and boring ride in his carriage to Prussia's house to finish signing the treaty. He was ever so grateful when he finally arrived. He wanted to get this over with as soon as he could. He couldn't stand Prussia very well. Walking to the door, he knocked twice. A few seconds later, a boy that looked around Italy's age answered. Austria's eyes widened as he dropped everything that he was holding. The boy had blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, just like…

"… Holy Rome" Austria said in a whisper.

Confused at why the man had just said that, the blonde asked, "Umm… can I help you?"

Austria snapped out of his daze and, shaking his head, picked up the things he had dropped. "I… I'm here to talk with… umm… Prussia."

The blonde was about to answer when he was interrupted by stomping coming from the stairs. "Oi, West, who's at the door?"

"Austria," the blonde stopped. Why had he known his name? He had never even met the man at their door before. Shaking it off, he let Austria in and led him to the living area.

"Austria? Well whatever, let's get this over with," Prussia said a little annoyed.

"Umm… Prussia?" Austria said, trying to get his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Who is that boy?"

"Germany? He's my little brother. Been my little bro for years."

"Is he the one you brought home with you 13 years ago?"

Prussia swallowed, deciding to tell the truth, "Yeah…"

Austria paused. How couldn't he have noticed it when he picked Prussia up all those years ago? True he never got to see the boys face because it was covered, but he should have asked to see him. His hands began to tremble as realization over came him. Germany was the Holy Roman Empire.


	4. The Tomato Box

Chapter 4: The Tomato Box

Italy sat at Austria's piano and pressed a few notes as he waited for Hungary. 'She might not even come by today_._' Italy thought as he remembered that Austria said she _should_ be over later. He didn't mind that she didn't show up it's just that he tended to get a little bored when he was by himself in the big mansion. So he decided to leave and have a little "adventure".

He took a step out of the door as he thought of what he should do. Maybe he should pay a visit to the market. Thinking it was a great idea, Italy set off. It took him only a few minutes by foot so he had no problem getting there. He looked around at all of the strange things being sold. One man was selling a fruit he had never heard of before.

He was about to buy the weird fruit when an open crate of tomatoes caught his attention. Immediately, he thought of his older brother Romano and his guardian Spain. Running over to it, he looked inside. He was so intent on the contents (why? We'll never know…) that he didn't notice that he was leaning farther and farther in when finally, he fell onto to tomatoes squishing a few.

Upset that he got his uniform dirty and thinking about how Austria would react, he tried to clean as best as he could. Unknown to him, however, there was a man approaching with the lid to the box. The man obviously wasn't paying attention, because otherwise he would have seen the small Italian in the crate and told him to get out. But he wasn't paying attention because at that moment, the lid covered the entrance as Italy stood very fast. The result was the nation hitting his head and getting knocked unconscious.

The lid was nailed down and loaded onto a truck, but it wasn't strapped down well enough. As the truck was driving through a small back road in the woods, it hit a bump and sent the crate flying out of the back. Italy was stuck in a nailed shut box in the middle of the woods… at least he had tomatoes, right?

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After piecing together who Germany actually was, Austria's attitude turned from one of disbelief to one of anger. "Prussia!" Austria exclaimed as he stood suddenly.

Prussia jumped in surprise at this abrupt movement. Then in confusion he asked, "What?"

Austria's voice turned into a whisper. "Did you even consider who it was that you took in? Who he was before you brought him here? Perhaps the friends and family that will miss him now?"

Prussia just sat there in complete confusion as the Austrian stared him down. "Who he was?" He said in an equally quiet manner. "Of course I did, but I didn't know. So I thought I would avoid any danger to him if I didn't tell anyone." While Germany stood in the kitchen, he could hear the angry whispers. He knew that they were about him making it awkward for him.

A laugh escaped the older man's lips. "Danger to him? He's the Holy Roman Empire, he's always in danger! Now you've gotten yourself in danger too."

Red eyes met violet ones as those last words were said. Prussia opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Austria's hand. "No more, Prussia. I'm signing the treaty and I'm leaving with the boy."

Prussia's eyes widened and tears threatened to break through. "No, please don't! He's the only family I have. I admit it was stupid to take him in, but please don't take the only thing precious to me in this world."

Austria's eye shown with disgust at those words. "You don't think he was precious to others? You don't think he had a family of his own?" He almost didn't notice his voice getting louder. Luckily, Germany hadn't caught any of what he had said and just then, he came in with a couple of cups of beer for the two bickering nations. Both looked over at him.

"Umm… brother?" Germany said in a nervous tone.

"What's wrong, West?"

"I'm going out for a bit."

"Ok, don't be gone too long," Prussia stated, then playfully added. "Oh and how about you look for the descendent of Rome."

Unfortunately, Germany took that seriously and left without another word. A certain Austrian also thought he meant it and gave Prussia a glare.

"What, I was joking… West knows I was joking."

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Germany stepped over small branches and roots weaving himself through the trees as he tried to find Rome's child or grandchild. Sighing he picked up a stick from the ground. This wouldn't be a very good defense when he crossed the border but he brought it with him anyway. As he approached the Italian border he readied himself for any attacks. None came, however, so he continued.

The small wooded area got thicker the father in he went. Then it occurred to him. "I'm supposed to be fighting the descendents of that Roman guy, but… Something's wrong… I crossed the border easily with only a stick." Shaking it off as only a coincidence he continued. "Anyhow, I can't let my guard down. They must have something up their sleeves."

Out of nowhere, a box of tomatoes just appeared. It was sitting in the middle of the forest, but why? He walked toward the mysteriously placed crate and said, "Hm… Why in the world are there tomatoes here?"

He tapped the object when all of a sudden a noise came from it! "Whoa!" Germany took a step back.

"Ahh!" the voice in the box said.

Germany stared at the container and just then became determined to figure out what was in it. "It seems like there's someone in here!"

The voice spoke again, obviously scared, "N-No there isn't! Please don't open it!"

Lifting as hard as he could on the lid of the box he realized this wouldn't be as easy as he originally thought. "Dammit… so heavy…!"

"Stop!" The voice said again.

All of a sudden the lid gave way sending Germany tumbling to the ground. A young brunet that had to be about his age, popped out and began to cry. "Please don't shoot! I'll do anything!"

Germany stared, dumbfounded at the small nation in front of him. "Is this… the guy I supposed to be fighting right now?"


	5. An Unexpected Ally

Chapter 5: An Unexpected Ally

Germany simply stared at the small Italian that had popped out of the crate. 'Is this really the descendent of Rome? Is he the one I'm supposed to be fighting?'

The boy continued to whine saying something about being a virgin. Cautiously, Germany walked back over and picked up the nation by the back of his shirt. 'Wow!' Germany thought. 'He's really light…' Italy was still whining and the blonde had to resist the urge to slap him. "Umm… excuse me."

Italy stopped crying and looked at the taller man. "Huh?"

"Are you the grandchild of Rome?"

A smile spread across the brunet's face. "You know Grandpa Rome?"

Unsure, he continued to watch Italy as he talked about himself and his grandfather. Then it hit him. It was a trick to make him drop his defenses! Dropping the small nation, Germany ran the butt of his gun into Italy's face. "I won't be tricked!"

Italy fell to the ground pathetically and began to whine again as he flailed his arms about. Germany's mouth dropped open slightly as he watched the boy in disbelief. Shaking his head he said, "Stop, I'm sorry."

Italy stopped moving and looked at Germany. "Ve~!"

"Anyway get up, you're coming with me."

"Umm… ok," Italy replied as he followed him.

Germany brought the Italian home and strangely he didn't try to escape. When he opened the door, he found that Austria was still there.

"West, you're home!" Prussia called. He was about to hug he younger brother when he noticed Italy standing next to him. "Umm… brother, who is that?"

Austria walked up behind Prussia and also stopped in his tracks. "Italy?"

"Austria!" The boy exclaimed happily.

Austria was confused as to why the Italian was happy. He didn't seem to even recognize the German standing next to him, despite crying for Holy Rome just this morning. Then it hit him. Italy may have cried for the loss of his friend, but it was clear that he had moved on. It was also clear that Germany didn't seem to recognize the brunet. Moving on from his thoughts, he spoke. "Italy, why are you not at my house?"

"Ve? It was boring with no one around." Italy the explained, in great detail, what had happened to him. Everyone, except Germany, seemed to get bored of the story. He appeared to be listening intently, though, he could've been trying to not seem rude. Italy finally finished. "Then this nice man rescued me!" He exclaimed, clinging to the blonde's arm. Germany blushed at the action, but made no attempt to get him off.

Sighing at Italy's enthusiasm, Austria spoke. "Well anyway we need to go home." Turning around, to still Prussia's fears, he whispered, "Germany can stay." Facing the two 18 year old again, he walked past them and out the door. "Come, Italy!"

"Ve… but I want to stay here!" Italy complained, squeezing Germany's arm harder, causing him to blush more.

Austria raised an eyebrow in confusion, then a smirk broke the stiff exterior. "Fine, since the German brought you home with him, I guess you are his responsibility."

Italy almost jumped up in joy but contained himself. Austria turned around quickly before a full smile took over. Perhaps there was some sort of recognition that made Italy want to stay. Without another word, he left, leaving everyone, except Italy, wondering want had just happened.

Weeks passed and Germany became extremely annoyed with Italy. Why did he never try to escape? It was boring watching him when all he did was hang around his house instead of trying to regain his freedom. Germany began to question whether he was actually holding the nation captive or giving him a place to stay. On many occasions he found himself making pasta for him or even letting the brunet have his way with the kitchen. He couldn't quite explain it but he had a strange trust of the Italian, even though he had never met him before.

The start of the 20th century came and went as well as WW2. With the new war at his door step he found himself becoming Italy's ally instead of his captor. Over the years, Germany and Italy got as close as any friends could be. Even though Germany pretended to be annoyed with the smaller nation, he actually liked the Italian's company. The two nations couldn't be happier together.

End… or is it?

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There will be a sequel to this story so check back often! Hopefully within the next week or two.


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